Like the Miami Heat, who seem to be fine with playing their best in only half of their games, the Knicks have a version of cruise control. They don’t start defending until after halftime.
On Friday, the Knicks allowed the Milwaukee Bucks to score 53 points on just 44 first-half possessions. And then, they held the Bucks to just 33 points on 45 second-half possessions to pull out a 96-86 victory.

But this was nothing new, really. Through Friday, the Knicks rank 28th in first-half defense, allowing 106.2 points per 100 possessions. And they rank seventh in second-half defense, allowing just 99.5. That’s the second biggest discrepancy in the league.

The Knicks most-used lineup in the second half has been Raymond Felton, Kidd, J.R. Smith, Carmelo Anthony and Chandler. And it’s been excellent defensively, allowing less than 89 points per 100 possessions in 99 second-half minutes. The same lineup has allowed 101 points per 100 possessions – good but not great – in 52 first-half minutes.

The New York offense is always going to be there. They rank fourth in first-half offense, first in second-half offense, and third overall. But they’re a below average defensive team, ranking 16th overall, because, on most nights, they don’t bring focus on that end until the third quarter.